


There's A Devil In Your Smile

by KassandraScarlett



Series: Female Tony Stark Works [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angel Steve Rogers, Angst, Demon Tony Stark, F/F, Female Tony Stark, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Pepper Potts, Hurt Tony Stark, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-09-24 14:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17102693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KassandraScarlett/pseuds/KassandraScarlett
Summary: In a world where demons and angels and humans live together in relative peace, prejudices still exist. Pepper, the second heir to the throne, does the unthinkable by falling in love... With a demon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've had in my head for a long time. Keep in mind that it's not gonna be a happy ending.

  There was an unusual air of tension all around the castle that morning. Pepper knew what it was about and she couldn't help the little shivers of nervousness that ran through her as well. Everyone in the castle, possibly in the entire kingdom, knew what was happening today, and nobody was quite sure how to greet the news with anything less than trepidation.

  Lady Stark, the latest in a prestigious line of Unholies, daughter of the late Healer, Frigga, was arriving in a few hours. For the first time in a millennium, there would be an Unholy, a very powerful one, if the rumours surrounding the witch were to be believed, within the royal walls.

  Pepper would be lying if she said she wasn't also just a little curious. The bitter war between Unholies and Fallens and humans, in which the latter two had been allied from the very beginning, had ended centuries ago. In spite of the peace treaty that had been brokered, granting the Unholies the same privileges as the rest of the citizens, there was rarely any interaction between them and the rest of the kingdom. They were greatly feared, though few in number, by both the humans and the Fallens, even if the latter would never admit it. Angel blood carried pride and ego as a genetic trait.

  Now, however, they were on the cusp of war and they needed all the help they could get.

  As the only daughter of the king and queen, Pepper had been very carefully kept away from the Unholies. But her curiosity was alive and thriving and she couldn't help the zip of excitement when her handmaiden came to escort her to the throne room to greet the witch.

  She could feel the anxiety from the rest of her family. The nervous fluttering of white sparks around her brother's fingers, who had inherited their mother's angel traits, was very telling.

  Pepper, who was very much human, like their father, nudged him slightly in warning and the sparks disappeared as he got them under control again. Just in time too, as the doors of the castle sprang open with a gush of winds and their guests walked in.

  Pepper blinked at the petite woman in shock. This was Lady Stark? She couldn't have been more than twenty years, only a year younger than herself. She was dressed in a simple crimson tunic, with leather boots fit for men and a short dagger strapped to her thigh. Her dark hair was coloured gold at the end where it curled, and her perfect features were set in cold respect, more common courtesy than actual regard for their authority. But, no matter her size or her delicate body, the keen slant to her eyes and the tensed line of her shoulders screamed _'danger'_.

  “Your Majesties,” the young woman greeted, bending at her knees in a curtsey.

  “Welcome to the Royal Palaces, Lady Stark,” the king said. “I trust you know what we have requested of you?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “You want me to train your men in how to fight magic users, you want me to create protective gear for your armies and you want me to place wards around the royal grounds.”

  “Indeed, and will you be able to fulfil all that to our expectations?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she gave a smile that was a tad too sharp. “I do believe so, your majesty.”

  The king nodded, probably aware that he was treading on dangerous grounds. “If you’ll be needing anything, please do let us know.” 

  What happened next would come to change Pepper’s life. Eyes that were darker than darkness landed on her with a surprisingly friendly smile, as Lady Stark said, “I need an assistant. I request your Princess Virginia.”

 

* * *

 

  Pepper walked Lady Stark to her quarters. There was a question nagging at her that she was slightly afraid to ask, lest it offend her.

  “Alright, you’ve got questions,” Lady Stark surmised, the words thick with an odd accent.

  Pepper started. “Just one for now, really,” she assured. “I was simply wondering why you asked for me to be your assistant.”

  She looked a bit amused. “I do, in fact, need an assistant. Anybody else in this castle would be much too frightened of me to be of any real use. Your brother, Thor, is a Fallen and as such I cannot trust him not to take undue advantage of the opportunity to observe me at close range.”

  Pepper frowned. “That's not very fair,” she defended her brother. “You can't judge people by their blood.”

  A thick eyebrow quirked up. “Oh? And what does it say of the people who still, to this day, treat us with anger, fear and hate because of our demon blood?”

  Pepper dipped her head in silent defeat. “Touché, Lady Stark.”

  They stopped in front of a set of doors embossed with runes. Pepper opened them, and gestured inside. “If you are in need of anything, you can pull on the bell. My room is merely two doors away, so you can come to me, should you need to.”

  Lady Stark gave a nod, but her attention was on the doors. She dragged a finger over the markings. “Restraining spells?” She murmured, with a wry grin that revealed pointed teeth. “You people do understand that no angel magic is strong enough to hold me? There isn’t even a demon who managed to restrain me.”

  Pepper couldn’t help the small smile at hearing the utter confidence. “I’m sure it’s more wishful thinking for their peace of mind, rather than any actual hope of stopping you, should you decide to harm us.”

  “Well, we’ll just keep this a little secret between us then, shall we, Princess?” Lady Stark suggested as bright blue flared from her fingers and washed over the doors.

  Pepper knew better than to argue. “Could we perhaps abandon the formalities? _'Lady'_ and _'Princess'_ do get tiring after a while,” she said instead.

  Lady Stark turned to her slowly, stepping a little closer. “Words have power, you know,” she murmured and Pepper felt the urge to step back. “And chosen names are the most powerful of all.”

  Pepper didn’t realize she’d backed away until the wall hit her back. Lady Stark was barely some inches away from her and... Was it just her, or was it getting difficult to breathe?

  “I just... I thought, since we’d be spending quite some time together, we could regard each other on equal footing,” she stammered. “As per status, I mean.”

  Intrigue sparked in the witch’s dark eyes. “A princess, willing to lower herself to a commoner. Now, I’ve seen everything.”

  “You aren’t a commoner, Lady Stark,” Pepper mumbled.

  The corner of her mouth twitched and a hand came up to brush against her jaw. Pepper was surprised when the contact felt rough and calloused, yet soft and warm to the touch.

  “Pepper,” she said, with some difficulty. “That’s what I’m called. And,” it was getting increasingly bothersome to get the words out. “I do believe this... Position, is quite inappropriate.”

  “Do you want me to stop?” Was the question and Pepper couldn’t find an answer.

  The moment stretched in silence, then the witch stepped away. “I'm called Antonia,” she answered. “Goodnight, Pepper.”

  The door closed, leaving the young heiress wondering at her own reluctance to leave.

 

* * *

 

  Antonia refused to train the armies how to battle magic, seidr as she called it. Pepper would be lying if she said she was surprised at that. Her logic was simply that she was not willing to give away her people's weaknesses to men who held no regard for the lives of those they considered different to their own. She did, however, agree to teach Pepper different arts, citing that healing and fighting were both necessary for survival.

  It was more than a fair trade.

  These classes usually consisted of Antonia standing directly behind her, guiding her body with her own hands to wield a sword, throw daggers and stab with knives, string a bow and nock an arrow. 

  Pepper enjoyed it. Antonia, after the initial aloofness of their first meeting, was all easy smiles and fleeting touches, habitually invading her personal space with coy winks and clever words that left her blushing.

  “That’s highly scandalous, Antonia,” she chided through stifled laughter, as the witch grabbed her hands and twirled so they were pressed back to front.

  Pepper towered above her, but when Antonia looked over her shoulder to smirk up at her, she felt weak and wobbly, like she could fall over any instant.

  “Do you want me to stop?” She questioned, pressing a quick kiss to her cheeks, that would have had her jumping in shock if it weren’t for their joint hands.

  The answer was a tremulous _'no'_ and that worried Pepper more than she cared to think about.

 

* * *

 

  The kisses moved from her cheeks to her jaw to her neck; the random bouts of silliness came more often as she let her guard down whenever they were alone; the hands wandered around to shoulders, the small of her back, sometimes her knees.

  Each time, Pepper would find herself freezing with anticipation, waiting for Antonia to take it further, cheering internally when she did, feeling disappointed when she didn’t. She avoided thinking about why she felt that way.

  But Pepper herself never initiated anything, always afraid of overstepping. She was well aware that Antonia’s actions held some sort of power over her, rendering her incapable of thinking of anything else. Her waking moments were filled with the witch herself and her dreams tortured her with fantasies where Antonia held her even closer, nary an inch of space between them. 

  Pepper couldn’t quite define what it was she felt, what kind of spell she was under. All she knew was that she wanted **more** , she wanted **Antonia**.

  A small part of her, the part that used to read books and poems locked up in the library to escape her duties, knew what she feeling, knew what was happening to her for the first time in her life.

  But she ignored it, telling herself it was a foolish thought and could never come to fruition.

  And, as fate would have it, Pepper ended being the one who took it a step further when Antonia didn’t.

 

* * *

 

  They’d taken a break from training and Antonia suggested taking a walk in the gardens. Pepper sent word ahead, asking the guards to clear out the area, not wanting to entirely lose the privacy they had.

  Antonia walked two steps ahead of her, spinning and humming as she weaved her fingers through the air, randomly healing wilted flowers and leaves, her hair spinning around her, the gold ends glinting in the sunlight.

  “Is every magic-user as powerful as you?” Pepper asked.

  Antonia shrugged. “There are different kinds of magic. Time manipulation, illusionary, elemental, reality-shaping and healing. Everyone knows a little bit of everything, especially the basics, which include offensive and defensive spells. But there are some of us who are most skilled in any one particular field.”

  “So which are you?” she wondered, though she had already guessed.

  Antonia stopped in front of a fountain. Placing her hands on the railing, she closed her eyes in concentration. Pepper watched in absolute awe as veins of vivid blue light spread from under her fingers, twisting and bending the metal into unrecognisable shapes. “Reality-shaping,” she explained. “I can create and destroy anything substantial as I see fit.”

  She removed her hands, leaving the previously smooth metal forced into an intricate flower. “My brother, Loki, is a powerful illusionist. My friend, Stephen, is a time magician. Our mother, Frigga, was a healer.”

  “Are any of them as powerful as you?”

  Antonia gave her a mock scowl. “Loki and Stephen are both powerful in their own right, but I’m the only one capable of destroying everything around us for miles, if I choose to.”

  Pepper raised a sceptical eyebrow and Antonia held out her hands, fluttering her fingers. “Would you like a demonstration?”

  Maybe it was the playfulness of her words, maybe the teasing smirk, or maybe it was the heat making her silly and uncoordinated, but whatever the case, Pepper found herself grabbing Antonia’s hands and tugging her forward to press their lips together.

  For ten blissful seconds, nothing else mattered, except Antonia’s fingers twined with her own, her mouth soft and inviting, the heat of their bodies mingling in the afternoon sun.

  Then Pepper jerked back, the full implications of what she’d done assaulting her common sense: not only had she kissed a _woman_ , she'd kissed a _witch_. She took a second to register the shock on Antonia’s face, before turning on her heel and dashing towards the castle.

  She barely avoided knocking into several guards rotating their shifts, in a hurry to get to her room. Before she could open the doors, a circle of blue sparks appeared in front of her and Antonia stepped out, worry prominent in her expressions.

  “What are you doing?” She demanded.

  Pepper winced. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t why I did, I just... I oughtn’t have, I know.”

  Antonia stared at her. “Are you honestly apologizing for kissing me?” She asked incredulously. “I have been dropping hints and waiting for two months and after taking your own step, you lack enough sense to feel the need to apologize?”

  Pepper gaped and Antonia sighed. Stepping into her space, again, she gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look down. Hesitantly, she brushed her lips against Pepper’s, silently asking permission. She doesn’t remember giving it, but then she was gasping for breath as Antonia kissed her properly, earnestly, her tongue sweeping into her mouth with ease.

  “But, but, this isn’t, this is wrong!” She tried to say, between kisses.

  Antonia leaned away, leaving her disoriented at the loss. “Do you want me to stop?”  
And, heaven help her, Pepper knew her answer before she finished the question. “No.”

  Antonia grinned, bright and happy, and tugged her into the bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

  And so it went on. Antonia would portal herself into Pepper’s room nearly every night. Sometimes, they were constantly exchanging kisses, hard and deep and passionate, until both of them grew too tired to continue. Other nights, Antonia told Pepper about her childhood, about her brother’s antics and her best friends' protectiveness, about her familiar, a swallow named Jarvis. Pepper cherished those moments, feeling eternally grateful for the little glimpses into her lover’s life.

  During the day, they avoided getting too close- well, any closer than they used to be.

  The nights, however, the nights were theirs.

  The innocent kisses progressed to fumbling hands untying the knots on Antonia’s tunic, while clever fingers undid the straps of Pepper’s dress. Long smooth limbs wrapped around the smaller body, and short, bitten nails left scratches on fair skin. Covering up the marks they left on each other, bites and bruises and imprints, became harder and harder, but Pepper had never been happier and Antonia seemed to feel the same.“

 

* * *

 

  "This is- I shouldn’t- _oh, by the angel!_ \- we really shouldn’t be doing this,” she gasped out one night, as her hands twisted and clawed the silken sheets beneath her.

  Antonia paused, sitting up on her knees to inspect the bite she’d left on her inner thigh. “Do you want me to stop?” She asked, meeting her eyes, even as she rubbed a thumb against her clit.

  _'Cruel girl,'_ Pepper thought, as she arched up into the rough-smooth touch. “No,” she breathed out, and Antonia smiled, wide and delighted, before resuming her handiwork.

 

* * *

 

  As fate would happen, they got kidnapped. A small mistake, really, just distraction on Antonia’s part. Pepper had accompanied her to the palace borders, and they both sat cross-legged, as Antonia kept her eyes closed tight, murmuring foreign words under her breath, her hands held up, palms facing outward and glowing blue. Pepper sat behind her, watching quietly and taking advantage of the absence of the guards to press kisses to the curve of her shoulder, the shell of her ear. It gave her great delight every time the witch shivered under her lips, breaking focus to twist around and capture her mouth.

  Maybe, if they hadn’t been so distracted, Antonia would have sensed the crude spell work on the pair of guards approaching them. As it was, fear of being caught had them jerking away from each other, relief filling them when one of the newcomers said, “The king and queen have summoned you.”

  Both of them stood up to follow them. Antonia blinked, her eyebrows twitching with sudden suspicion, and the guard drew a set of knives. Neither of them had the time to react- Pepper couldn’t even scream- as both knives, expertly thrown, sliced the skin a little above Antonia's wrists. It wasn’t a fatal wound, not by far, but Antonia gasped, her face contorting in pure agony, before her eyes rolled up and she crumpled to the ground. Pepper watched in horror, but a sharp pressure on the back of her neck gave her the same fate.

 

* * *

 

  Pepper woke up first. Her eyes opened to a dark cell, the feeling of metal against her wrists, a musty smell, and a tall man shackled to the wall opposite her. She realized her own hands were shackled in the next instant.

  “I see you’re awake,” the man commented. “Took you long enough, considering you’re not the one who was poisoned.”

  “Poisoned?” What are you...?” She trailed off, as her eyes found a third figure, her arms limp, her upper body slumped forward, so dark hair covered her face. Pepper would have recognised the gold-dyed ends anywhere.

  “Antonia?” She whispered, trying not to panic, when there was no answer. “What happened? What did they do to her? Those knives only nicked her!” She demanded of the stranger.

  Green eyes regarded her in a strangely familiar way. “Those knives were specially designed by Antonia, years ago, when she was still learning her craft. If they hit you at the right place, they can temporarily rob a magic-user of their powers. Every magic-user has a specific spot on their body where their magic is centred, according to the type they specialise in. For Antonia, a reality-shaper, her hands are her greatest strength and her biggest weakness.”

  “So, that’s why she’s unconscious?” Pepper asked.

  “No.”

  Both of them turned to face the now conscious woman as she shook her hair back and looked up at them with confused, but alert eyes.

  “I’d crafted them to be non-lethal, just for restraining,” she explained. “These idiots dipped them in some sort of poison. Where did they get my weapons from anyway?” The last question was directed to the stranger. “And how did you get here? And where are we?”

  “One question at a time please.” The man shrugged. “I don’t know where we are, but judging by that smell of wet rocks, I’d say some sort of caves. I got here the same way you did; kidnapped while I was distracted practicing spells in the forest. I woke up only some hours ago, and then you two were brought in. As for your weapons...” he gave a contemplative frown. “The only possible explanation is that we have a traitor.”

  “Alright, before we go any further,” Pepper interrupted. “How do you two know each other?”

  “Pepper, this is Loki,” Antonia answered.

  It took her a second to place the name. “This is your brother?!” She looked between them incredulously.

  “It’s alright, I’m adopted,” Antonia reassured her with a wry smile. “That’s why we look nothing alike.”

  That was not entirely true, Pepper noted. Disregarding the different colouring and the frankly ridiculous height difference, the siblings did share some similarities. Small things, like the identical crinkles at the corners of their eyes, the way they glared, the cocked eyebrow at her silence, the permanent smirk in their voices, the way both of them kept flexing their fingers.

  Loki, meanwhile, was looking between them with an air of bemusement. “Oh by the devil,” he said softly. “You two are... Well, I must say, Antonia, dearest, you have my congratulations and well-wishes.”

  Antonia scowled and Pepper blinked in shock. “How did he-“

  “Illusionists play with the minds,” Antonia grumbled. “He can read thoughts. I learned to block him after a while, but you don’t have that defence.”

  “Oh. So he-“

  “Yes.”

  “And he can-“

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.”

  “By the way,” she turned to Pepper. “If you see any snakes, just ignore them.”

“Are you _ever_ going to let that go?” Loki demanded, sounding exasperated.

  Antonia glared. “You _stabbed_ me! _Multiple_ _times_!”

  Loki glowered right back. “You set my _hair_ on _fire_!”

  “ _You made Fenrir leave his droppings all over my bedroom_!”

  “ _ **You reversed the wards on my room so the entire neighbourhood heard me and Stephen**_!”

  “... That was actually rather traumatizing for me as well, hearing you scream like that,” Antonia shuddered. “Still it was worth it.”

  Loki snarled, and Pepper, who’d been watching the exchange in enrapture, decided to intervene.

  “Alright, children, that’s quite enough now,” she snapped. “Perhaps, we should focus on the problem at hand. First, who are these people?”

  Loki turned to her with a grim look in his eyes. “This is the enemy. They call themselves the Ten Rings. They’ve evidently got spies on the palace, so they know, Antonia was there. That proves to be a big problem for them; a powerful magician, and therefore, by extension, her friends and family, fighting with the Fallens and humans. Hence, capture her as an asset, and me as leverage against her; my life, in exchange for her services.” Loki smiled at her, slow and malicious. “Welcome to the war, princess.

 

* * *

 

  The plan was ridiculously simple and was put into motion as soon as a guard came in. Loki conjured up an illusion of an old man with an eye patch, who Pepper recognised as Antonia and Loki’s late father, Odin, a powerful necromancer.

  Then, one of their captors came in, a heavy-set man with squinty eyes who froze in a very satisfying manner at the sight of the old man brandishing a spear. 

  “Um, s-sir, I-“

  “Release my children, you foolish weakling,” Odin snarled. “I may be dead, but I can still make you wish you were too."

  The guard let out a squeal and hurried to untie Loki first. As soon as he’d released the shackles on Antonia, the mage grappled the guard to the ground, long fingers pushing threateningly into the hollow of his throat. 

  “Where have they kept the weapons they took from us, and which is the way out?” Loki demanded, as Antonia hurried to break Pepper's shackles. “And know that if you lie to me, I will come back and make you **beg** for death before they capture me again.”

  “Are you alright?” Antonia asked urgently, her hands roaming over her body in search of wounds.

  “I'm fine,” Pepper assured her. “Are _you_ okay?”

  Antonia hummed and Pepper felt the urge to shake her and demand to see any injuries, but Loki was snapping at them to hurry.

  “He doesn’t know where our weapons are kept!” He mourned, as they left the guard lying on the floor unconscious. “We’ll have to fight our way through with magic.” He handed the sword he’d taken from the guard to Pepper. “Please tell me you know how to fight,” he half-pleaded.

  Pepper took it with a scowl. “I've been taught swordplay since I was a child,” she answered coolly. “And your sister has been my instructor for the better part of a year, so I’m quite certain I can hold my own.” She didn’t miss the way he shot a somewhat amused glance at said sister.

  They hurried down the dark halls, entirely unchallenged. Loki stayed at the front and Antonia behind Pepper. His hands were glowing a poisonous green and she could feel the heat of Antonia’s magic as well. The sword in her hand felt heavy and the oppressiveness of the caves was making it difficult to breathe.

  They didn’t meet any resistance until Loki, confident and purposeful in his steps, led them out into the desert under a clear night sky.

  A platoon of soldiers, probably returning from patrols, met them at the mouth of the caves. For a brief moment, like the calm before a storm, there was a frozen silence.

  Then chaos reigned. 

  Pepper found herself fighting for her life, in a way she had never had to in the training room. She was vaguely aware of the two Unholies fighting some distance from her; glowing daggers in Loki’s hands, and a sword of flames in Antonia’s, tendrils of magic swirling around their feet as they threw spells in every direction. She thought she spotted one man with shards of what looked like green ice buried all over his body, and she was sure she had just heard someone screech something about blue fire.

  Mostly, though, she was focused on her own battles, fending off three soldiers with a sword in each hand, one of which she’d grabbed from somebody she’d disarmed. The muscles in her forearm were screaming, and there was a stinging on her thighs that she tried desperately to ignore.

  She knew Loki had sent an astral message to another magic-user as soon as he’d had enough energy, but that there was some sort of cloaking technique masking the area, that prevented him from pinpointing the location. They would have to get far away from the caves to reach help.

  “Loki!” She yelled. “Can’t you teleport us to your friend?!” He was the one who knew where he was waiting for them.

  “Not both at the same time,” he called back, stabbing a man in the guts and pushing him away. _Oh for the love of angels_. Antonia couldn’t portal herself, if she didn’t know where she was supposed to go.

  “Open a portal!”

  “No!” Antonia protested. “Too risky, they might follow through.”

  “We can’t keep this up for long, you’re still weak!” Loki reminded.

  “Take Pepper and go! Come back for me!”

  “No!” “Absolutely **not**!” Both Pepper and Loki screamed.

  Antonia spun on her heel, slicing her opponent's throat and glaring at her brother. “Loki, _get_ Pepper **out** of here, right **now**!”

  With only a split second of hesitation, and a snarl of frustrated pain, Loki grabbed Pepper’s hands, ignoring her panicked protests. She felt pins and needles travel down her arms and then the ground fell away beneath her feet.

  When she regained her surroundings, they were in a small oasis, with a tall stranger in the oddest clothing, which included a red cloak that seemed to move on its own.

  “Where's Antonia?!” the stranger demanded, his eyes roving over her companion's form. “Loki, where is she?”

  Pepper gasped. “She’s still back there! Loki, you have to go and get her!”

  The mage shot her a venomous look, as if to say _'it's your fault she’s alone back there'_ , and it was true, making her shrink back in shame. But Loki disappeared, just as there was the sound of a large explosion.

  Both Pepper and the stranger turned in the direction of the sound and watched as flashes of vivid blue lit up the dark sky.

  “Oh thank the devil,” the stranger sighed.

  As if on cue, there was a strange spark in the air and Loki and Antonia appeared again. The latter stumbled to the ground, pulling her brother down with her, as they both sat back-to-back, breathing hard. Pepper joined them on the ground, her eyes fixed on Antonia.

  For a second, she thought she saw black markings on her arms, but they faded before she could be sure.

  Sensing her gaze, the witch smiled tremulously at her, obviously fighting to stay conscious, and grabbed her hand.

  “Pepper, meet Stephen, my best friend and Loki’s lover,” she mumbled.

  Stephen knelt beside her, smiling fondly at both the magic-users. He ran a shaking hand through both their hair. “Neither if you seem to be severely injured. But Antonia is much too weak. Why happened?”

  Antonia's eyes had dropped closed and Pepper would have panicked if the other two hadn’t remained so calm.

  “They used the restraining daggers,” Loki explained with a frown. The two locked gazes, having a silent conversation.

  Then Stephen nodded firmly. “Well, she just needs some rest. No strenuous activity at all.” 

  “You do understand that, Princess?” Loki questioned, the animosity from mere seconds gone now that his sister was safe, in it's place a teasing smirk.

  Pepper scowled a bit. “Perfectly,” she replied, as Stephen inspected a cut on her leg. “This is superficial,” he said. “You need rest too.”

  She nodded, and with Stephen's help, wobbled to her feet. Loki stood as well, easily swinging Antonia into his arms. Astounding how small and fragile she seemed to be, bundled up in somebody else's hold. Stephen spun one hand in a circle, opening a portal that was orange, unlike Antonia’s blue.

  With a gesture of his hand, Pepper stepped through into the courtyard of the palace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took cues from Titanic for this chapter. You know that scene where Jack confronts Rose and warns her against the marriage, because he knows that she wasn't meant for that kind of life. I wrote Pepper's situation the same way. Except Jack manages to convince Rose to come with him, but Antonia isn't able to do that here.

  Pepper smiled to herself as Antonia hugged first Stephen, then Loki, wrapping her arms around their torsos and leaning up to press kisses to their cheeks. They indulged her happily, ruffling her hair as they said their goodbyes.

  It was only a temporary farewell. Loki and Stephen would be going back to their homes to find the spy in their midst. Afterwards, they, Antonia, and a few other Unholies would venture to the enemies hideouts and overtake as many as they could. 

  Pepper looked away, trying not to hear Loki murmur a warning into Antonia’s ear. “Be careful, please. Not only is she the daughter of a Fallen, she is also a princess.” Antonia seemed to rebuke him, but Pepper shut it out, hating the doubt she felt.

  She didn’t look back until the guards came to escort them to the throne room. There she again tuned them out as her parents thanked them for saving her. They returned the gratitude with the same stiff regard Antonia had shown at first. Then the two mages stepped through a portal, with a last glance at Antonia, and the court adjourned.

  No longer confined to the infirmary, Antonia was already waiting in her room when Pepper walked in. “Well, _somebody_ doesn’t seem to think much of my brother,” she teased.

  Pepper felt her lips twitch. “He's all right,” she shrugged. “I prefer you.” She bent down and Antonia met her lips halfway, slow and peaceful.

  “But, why doesn’t he like me?” She wondered, breaking the kiss.

  Antonia shrugged. “He thinks you are going to break my heart someday.”

  She blinked. “But... I wouldn’t?” It came out sounding like a question.

  The witch smiled. “I know you wouldn’t. That’s what I informed him of.”

  Pepper lay down beside her, arm wound tight around her waist. “Tell me something,” she began softly. "That day, after we escaped the caves, I think I saw some sort of branding over your arms. What were they?”

  Antonia shifted to look up at her wryly. “This isn’t my true form, you know,” she said. “Not completely. Unholies are easy to identify because we all have very telling marks. Those of us who are more skilled, we learn to hide them with a glamour. It makes interaction with the rest of the world much easier, makes them... Less afraid of us. Sometimes, when we are exhausted or emotionally distraught, the glamour slips.”

  Pepper stroked the patch of bare skin at her hips. “May I see them?” She asked quietly.

  Antonia seemed to hesitate. “Maybe some other time.”

 

* * *

 

 

  “Don't go,” Pepper pleaded.

  Antonia chuckled, not pausing her ministrations through Pepper’s strawberry hair. “I really must.”

  “Why can’t they handle it without you?” 

  “Of course, they can,” she answered calmly. “But I can't let my friends ride off into adventure without me.”

  Pepper scowled at the note of amusement in her voice and pulled herself up onto the duvet, dragging Antonia’s lithe frame with her to settle into the pillows.

  “When will you be back?” She tried not to sound petulant.

  “At least ten weeks.”

  “And can you promise you will come back?”

  Antonia turned to face her. “I've already made a somewhat similar promise to your father. Yes, we will easily defeat them without the assistance of the Royal Army. Yes, I will be back here with you, perfectly alive, with only minimal bodily harm.”

  Pepper sighed, kissing her soundly. “That’ll have to do,” she mumbled. “Tell me something about yourself tonight.”

  “What more could you possibly want to know?” Antonia laughed. 

  “Tell me about your adoption,” she suggested. “About the people who raised you.”

  For a few moments, Antonia remained silent and Pepper wondered if she’d overstepped. Then she spoke softly, “My father, Odin, found me abandoned in the forest, when I was just a babe. There was nobody around in sight, so he took me home. Loki was only a few moons older than me. Father and mother, Frigga, raised me alongside him as one of their own. They told me the truth when I was fifteen.” She paused, frowning.

  “Needless to say, I reacted badly. I convinced myself they’d only taken me in out of pity, and then kept me because I showed promise in magic. I lashed out everyone. Loki was just as heartbroken and angry as me, but he calmed down quick enough. He tried to console me as well, but I refused comfort, saying he was lucky to share our parents blood, and so he couldn’t possibly understand how I felt. I-“ she swallowed, blinking back sudden tears, and Pepper tightened her hold.

 “I hurt him,” she whispered. “We were arguing again, he was trying to make me see reason, and I lost control. He was unconscious and mother set about reviving him. Father wasn’t at home. I was horrified at myself, so I...”

  “You left,” Pepper murmured, understanding. 

  Antonia nodded. “I ran away. After a few hours, I thought to find out my true parentage. I ventured into the villages near the forest I’d been found in and... Discovered my birth rights.” Her dark eyes took on a sudden viciousness. “Howard and Maria Stark were cruel, vile and bigoted. She was a charmer, used to manipulate senses through touch. He was an iron monger, and his weapons were barbaric in their purpose. They didn’t want me,” she hissed. “Because, I was a female and hence, I was a mistake.”

  Pepper pressed her lips against her forehead in a sign of comfort. Antonia relaxed against her and seemed to breath in her scent before continuing. “They’d been killed by a spell gone wrong a few years after I was born. I was too ashamed to go back home just then, so I stayed, learned the art of crafting weapons and took the name 'Stark’, hoping to do away with the ill-will and the corrupted reputation surrounding it. Loki found me there after three months and convinced me to come home, saying that mother had fallen terribly ill. I agreed.”

  “Then?” Pepper asked in a breath.

  She shrugged. “There was no way to heal her,” she muttered, trying to seem nonchalant. “Odin passed away only a year later, unable to continue without his wife. Before dying, he made Loki and me promise we'd never leave each other alone.”

  “And you didn’t,” Pepper supplied.

  Antonia smiled, a little sad, a little wistful. “No, we never did. Not again.”

 

* * *

 

 

  Pepper insisted on seeing Antonia off. Her excuse being that she was fearful of riding horses, and the kingdom's borders were too far for her to walk alone.

  So four hours before sunrise, the princess and the witch were making their way to where some of Antonia’s friends were waiting for her. 

  “Did you really never learn to ride?” 

  Antonia seemed to shudder behind her. “I don't trust them,” she said, her lips pecking the back of Pepper's head. “They're dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle.”

  Pepper giggled at the pout in her words. “So who's your band?”

  “Stephen and Loki, obviously,” she said. “Also, Natalia, one of our best at espionage, and her brother Clinton, an excellent marksman.” The group came into view as she spoke and Pepper spotted the additional people: a stunning redhead and a dusty blond. They were all on horses, and as they approached, Pepper could feel the worry and anxiety creeping back up.

  “Just five of you?” She asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

  “The five best of us,” Antonia corrected. “Do stop fretting, princess, we’ll be fine.”

  Pepper stopped a short distance away from them, far enough that they couldn’t hear each other. Twisting in her seat, she held Antonia’s eyes seriously. “You're going to come back,” she ordered, with an authority in her voice she rarely used. Not that it had any effect on Antonia, who simply smiled.

  “Of course, I will,” she assured, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. “Look what I’ve got waiting for me here.” She leaned in, kissing her once, sharp and sweet in the presence of company. “I love you,” she breathed against her lips.

  And before Pepper could reply in kind, before she could react, she was swinging off the horse and sprinting over to her friends, where Loki instantly grasped her arm and pulled her up behind him on his own steed. Pepper turned around, returning to the castle at a gallop, not wanting to stay and watch her leave.

  When she reached her quarters, it was to find her brother pacing outside the doors, worry evident in features.

  “Thor?” She asked curiously. Her brother was a very easy-going person. To see him this worked up meant something was very wrong.

  He looked down at her in slight reproach. “Did you really think I would never find out about your tryst with the Unholy?”

  Her blood ran cold. But he must have read the panic on her face, because before she could say anything, either to deny his claim or beg his silence, he hurried to assure, “ I'm not here to tell you off. I just need to warn you.”

  Pepper relaxed. “Warn me about what? And since when have you known?”

  “A little before you were both kidnapped, I stumbled across your... _'training sessions_ ',” he said, with an unsubtle wince at the memory. “As for the warning,” he sighed a bit. “Mother and father are arranging for your marriage with the General’s son.”

  For a few seconds, she couldn’t quite process his words. “What?” She asked dumbly.

  Thor looked guilty. “I told father that I didn’t want the crown, I’m not nearly ready for it,” he explained. “I’d rather fight on the frontlines than deal in any sort of politics and diplomacy has never been my strong area. That leaves you to take the throne.”

  Her entire world seemed to fall away beneath her feet. Because the kingdom and it’s people came first, her family came second, and if Thor didn’t want the crown, well, she could hardly argue that he was ready for it, because truth be told, he truly wasn’t fit to be king. 

  But, marriage?

  “Why do I need to get married?” She despaired, her voice coming out in a croak.

  Thor looked like he wanted to burrow his head in the sand out of shame. “Because, you're a woman, and the people will never accept a female ruling without an individual of power at her side.”

  She would have laughed is she could have, because if all that was required was an ' _individual of power_ ’, then Antonia would have been the perfect person for the position. But that wasn’t the case, was it? A person of power simply meant a man. She couldn’t rule without a man at her side.

  “When do they plan for this wedding to take place?” She managed to enquire.

  “The preparations start as soon as the Unholies send word that they have been successful.”

  _Ten weeks_ , she thought. Right as Antonia came back.

_'Why doesn’t your brother like me?'_

_'He thinks you’re going to break my heart.’_

 

* * *

 

 

  Ten weeks was an understatement. Nearly three months later, a beautiful swallow, with dark eyes that were all too familiar, flew into the courtroom with a scroll tied around its talons. Pepper recognised Antonia’s familiar, Jarvis, as the king untied the scroll gingerly and read it once quietly, then again aloud. All the strongholds had been conquered, the traitors discovered and punished.

  The Unholies were coming back.

  Pepper was a bundle of nerves for two days. A part of her couldn’t wait to see Antonia again, and another part of her wanted to prolong the inevitable as much as possible. Thor was a constant support by her side, even if he couldn’t do much. Her parents were confused with her grim moods, and tried to encourage her to socialize with her soon-to-be husband. She hadn’t been able to refuse without a proper explanation, so she had. And then she’d spent the entire conversation discreetly comparing the tall, quietly strong man with a short fiery brunette.

  The day arrived, and Pepper couldn’t stop herself from going forward to greet the Unholies at the castle gates.

  Antonia was a sight for sore eyes, one hand with a white cloth wound around it, her hair rough and messy, her eyes tired, but ultimately happy when she caught sight of Pepper. Loki kept an arm around her waist, as if to support her, and he too was sporting a rather spectacular bruise over the side of his face, but otherwise they were relatively unharmed.

  Antonia smiled at her, hand reaching out to simply brush against her arm, not going any further in the presence of the guards. 

  “Welcome back,” Pepper muttered, ignoring the pit in her stomach.

  “I have something to tell you,” she whispered back with a grin.

  Pepper could only hope it wasn’t as earth-shattering as her own news.

  As she led the small group to the throne room, she could feel the tremble in her hands as she yearned to simply grab Antonia and run away. The sweat on her palms did not make it any easier and she was certain Antonia had spotted her nervousness, even if she chose not to say anything just yet.

  Avoiding Thor’s eyes, she took her place at the queen’s side.

  “The enemy has been pushed back,” Antonia spoke calmly. It was obvious that she was acting as the spokesperson for now, with her brother hovering at one side protectively and Stephen cutting an imposing figure behind the siblings, with Natalia and Clinton bringing up the rear.

  “The traitors?” The king questioned.

  “Obadiah Stane, Laufey, Mordo,” she rattled off the names. “They’ve been dealt with, your majesty.”

  “Of course,” the king acquiesced. He gave a small pleased smile. “As thanks for your greatly needed aid, I’d like to extend an invitation to you and your companions to the royal wedding of the heir.”

  Pepper felt her heart clench as Antonia returned the smile with her own. “Of course,” she agreed warmly. “If we aren't needed back home, then my friends and I would be honoured to attend Prince Thor’s marriage.”

  “Thor? Oh... Oh, no, you haven't heard, yet, of course. Thor has relinquished the crown. Princess Virginia is now the heir and the marriage will be of her and Steven Rogers.”

  Antonia's smile froze, her eyes widening subtly in shock as she reined in her surprise with the ease of long practice, before turning to her for confirmation. Pepper didn’t return her gaze. She knew exactly what she’d find in those dark eyes and she couldn’t bear it. Not now.

 

* * *

 

 

  “I can’t wait to see your dress, Pepper, I'm sure it’ll be a sight to behold.” The excitement in the words was as fake as coloured glass. “After all, it’s not everyday, that the second child of the king and queen gets to have a chance at ruling.”

  Pepper wasn’t even startled to find Antonia in her room, still sporting some wounds, still dressed in that crimson tunic she wore for travelling or battle. “Antonia,” she sighed, joining her on the bed. Even in her ire, Antonia didn’t stop Pepper from leaning into her side and hiding in her shoulder, ignoring the faint stench of blood. “Please, try to understand, I wouldn’t be going through with this if I had any other choice.”

  The anger in her seemed to cool down a bit. “How do you mean?”

  “Thor doesn’t want the throne,” she explained. “He feels he’s not ready for it, and frankly, he’s correct. He would prefer to _'fight on the frontlines',_ as he calls it. That leaves me to rule, and the people will not accept a queen without a king.”

  “But it’s your life,” Antonia stressed. The anger made a reappearance, masking any hurt to be found. “If Thor can choose his own way, why can’t you?”

  “Because I’m the younger,” she said bitterly. “Thor can have his way, he’s the golden prince. I'm the spare, and my wishes don’t have a place of priority.”

  “So that’s it, then?” 

  The words stung more than they should have. Pepper looked at her sadly. “Do you have any other option?”

  There was a pause and Pepper watched as Antonia's eyes lost focus, her lips moving silently in thought. When she focused on her again, there was a dim hope to her gaze. “Come away with me,” she suggested in a hoarse whisper. “We can hide you, no one would judge, would never think any less of you. We can plan it accordingly so nobody here would ever suspect us, they’d never be able to find yo-“

  “Antonia.”

  Her words ground to a halt.

  “ My people will have to come first, Antonia, always. It’s my duty, my responsibility.”

  “Pepper, love, please,” Antonia stammered, realization stealing across her features. “Please, please, don't give this up so easily. Please.”

  Pepper looked away again, the pain in her eyes too much to bear. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled. Antonia swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly, and after a few moments, left the room without a word.

 

* * *

 

 

  She didn’t see her again. The other Unholies roamed the palace with ease, but oftentimes, Pepper was sure she could feel their glared at the back of her neck. Yet, every time she turned to check, they were preoccupied with conversation among themselves. Even so, she avoided Loki.

  The day of the wedding arrived. Pepper sat at her dressing table despondently, as her handmaidens fussed about her, styling her hair and applying delicate colours to her lips and eyes.

  Call it intuition, but somehow Pepper knew there was someone else in the room, someone who’d invisibly slipped in without anyone’s notice.

  “Could you leave me, please?” Pepper requested in a soft voice. “I’d like a few minutes alone.”

  “Of course, princess,” both the ladies murmured. The door closed behind them. The air behind her rippled and Pepper closed her eyes, preparing herself for the confrontation that needed to happen. When she opened her eyes and stood up to face it, she couldn’t help but stifle a gasp.

  Antonia's arms were bare, the midnight blue gown sitting tastefully low on her neck, and her curls were swept up in an artful duo, identical to Pepper’s own hair. But in spite of the small burst of longing, what really caught her attention was...

  _'This isn't my true form, you know. Not completely... Sometimes, when we're exhausted or emotionally distraught, the glamour slips.’_

  Dark, almost black, markings contrasted her olive skin. There didn't seem to be any rhymes or reason to them, just inky spirals around two fingers, spots around her wrists that led to curling waves running up to her shoulders and fading at her neck. 

  “Antonia, what-?”

  “You can still come with me,” Antonia interrupted. Pepper forced herself to meet her eyes, no longer warm brown but as red as her lips, indicative of her demonic heritage. “Please, Pepper, I don’t know how else to explain this to you, but I promise you’ll be safe. You can come back after a year to reconcile with your family, just come with me now, please.”

  The desperation was killing Pepper and she yearned to say ' _yes_ '. “I can't,” she said, choking on her own words.

  Antonia stiffened. “Why?” She snarled. Pepper felt a rush of fear when she spotted the two small, gleaming fangs. “Because, you’re too much of a coward to leave the palace walls for long? Because, you’re too concerned with what people might think? _What does it matter what they think_?”

  And that... That hurt. Because the accusations were true. Pepper could run, if she wanted. Yes, her parents would grieve, but she'd return after a few years to ask their forgiveness and explain her reasons for leaving. As far the matter of the throne went, well, Pepper wouldn't really be allowed to rule in any case. Steven would be made king one way or another, if Thor continued to refuse. Marrying Pepper was just a formality.

  But, she didn’t want to run. As much as she loved Antonia, and she did, she truly did, even if she’d never say it now, this was her home. This was where she’d grown up, and this was where she’d envisioned living her life out. She wasn’t ready to leave. She was afraid to.

  Not to mention the disgrace it would bring to the royal family. The princess abandoning her marriage and her responsibilities to flee with a witch? The dishonour would be scandalous.

  And Antonia knew this. She knew Pepper’s true reasons for refusing to leave, but neither of them had admitted it. Maybe because pretending that it wasn’t Pepper’s own fear that stopped her made it hurt a little less.

  That wasn’t the case now.

  “Tell me, princess Virginia,” Antonia growled and Pepper hated herself for the shiver of arousal at the way her name twisted and turned on the witch’s tongue. “How long will you be able to live with yourself, with being nothing more than a trophy, a useless effigy at the side of the king? How long before you break under the pressures of holding your tongue in court, of answering to a man by virtue of his title, not his personage? Because, mark my words, your majesty,” and now she was stepping closer, forcing Pepper to lean back against the dressing table as Antonia encroached her space. “Mark my words, you will break. And no one will be able to save you.”

  Pepper shut her eyes in denial. Her body felt coiled and ready to spring, and she gasped when she felt small hands sit gently on her waist, the heat seeping through the layers of white cloth.

  “I’m not- I'm not going-“ 

  Whatever she had to say was swallowed back by the press of warm lips, much warmer than she remembered them to be, at the hollow of her neck.

  “This has never been where you belong, Pepper,” Antonia whispered, making her shiver. “You were born to be free, and this marriage will kill you.” She sounded sad now, soft and lost like she was just trying for the sake of it, now. It was a complete contrast to the raging inferno she’d been a moment ago, and Pepper wasn’t sure she preferred it. “You'll survive for a while, because you’re strong, but eventually they’re going to extinguish that fire in you.”

  “Antonia, please- don’t do- if someone comes- please, please Antonia,” she pleaded in a strangled voice, as Antonia continued to kiss her neck gently. She wasn’t even biting, or sucking at the skin or using her tongue. It was just a simple caress, but it was enough to leave her dizzy and trembling. “ _Please_ ,” She repeated. She didn’t even know what she begging for.

  Antonia stepped back, and Pepper couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped her at the loss of proximity. “Do you really, honestly, want me to stop?” She asked, hopelessness obvious even in her crimson irises.

  Pepper opened her mouth but nothing came out. She didn’t want to lie and say ' _no_ ', but she knew she couldn’t say ' _yes_ '.

  Antonia finally smiled, a false cheer lighting up her features, a mockery of true joy. “I'll take your leave then, your Highness,” she said with a small curtsey. 

  She waved a hand in Pepper’s direction. Bright blue flames flickered around the witch’s fingers and Pepper knew the jewels that had been waiting in the table were now nestled over her neck and in her ears. She could feel the heavy weight of the crown on her head, which hasn't been there mere seconds ago.

  She glanced a chance into the mirror to confirm her deduction, absently noting the disappearance of the tear stains she’d felt. When she turned back to say something, anything, Antonia was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been agonising over this chapter for a long time, but I can't seem to make it better in any way. It's not really living up to my expectations. Maybe I've just spent so long think favour the particular concept, that nothing I write will match up to what I and in mind.  
> Still, I hope you all enjoyed this.  
> My Tumblr: bad-days-and-beautiful-nights


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